Nauticats have always been solid, stable, and comfortable, and the newest and biggest Nauticat is no different. There’s nothing radical about the Nauticat 515. Its long overhangs are something of a rarity among new cruising designs, and its displacement of nearly 53,000 pounds will make it a stately offshore passagemaker. The hull is made of meticulously hand-laid fiberglass, and the fit and
If Americans think of Slovenia at all, it probably isn’t as a boat-building center. Elan Marine is trying to change that. The swift, pretty Elan 40 is a mid-priced racer/cruiser designed by Rob Humphreys that is being pitched as a strong player in the highly competitive 40-foot market. I jumped aboard for a test sail on the Chesapeake last fall to see if the reality matches the
Hard on the heels of the 2002 introduction of its new 35-footer, the J/109, J Boats followed up this past fall by sprouting yet another high-performance sprit-boat. Bracketed between the 40-foot J/120 and the 48-foot J/145, the new 43-foot J/133 stakes a claim in the highly competitive mid-40s size range. An extrapolation of the 109, it seeks to combine the fun and performance of an
Each of these boats deserves to be recognized for a specific feature, design, or construction technique that was particularly innovative and/or well executed.Island Packet 486’s nav stationAny offshore navigator would love to call this nerve-center nav station home. There’s room to mount every imaginable electronic gadget, the varnished teak chart table is big enough to unfold a
This Jim Antrim–designed sportboat has innovative, well-executed features, achieves the difficult task of combining ease of handling and stability with sportboat performance, and is a gas to sail. The cockpit received high marks because the seats are wide, the stanchions angle outboard slightly to make it possible to use the lifelines as a comfortable backrest, the anti-skid is excellent, and
Over the past 10 years, Sabre has introduced a line of medium-displacement performance-oriented cruising boats ranging in size from 36 to 45 feet, all designed by Jim Taylor, that have been exceptionally well executed. We were not at all surprised, therefore, to find that Sabre and Taylor have again done a superb job of balancing performance, liveaboard comfort, and quality construction in a
This Swedish-built Judel/Vrolijk design impressed our judges with the quality of its hull and deck construction and dazzled them with gorgeous interior joinery work in satin-finish African mahogany. We loved the feel of the helm (“soft and supple, with just the right amount of feedback”) in 15 knots of true wind. The boat tracked well and gave a decent turn of speed (8.5 knots hard on the breeze
The Malo 41 has many of the same features that impressed us on the other Swedish boats we sailed—strong no-nonsense construction combined with lush mahogany interior joinery work—as well as a few unique twists of its own. For example, the distinctive traveler arch over the cockpit, long a Malo trademark (they call it their TARGA system), works very well, and its height can be
Many boats with “contemporary” styling, particularly those from Europe, tend to look amorphous, so it’s refreshing to see a new design with truly clean and elegant lines. Jeanneau’s latest addition to its long-lived Sun Odyssey line, drawn by Marc Lombard and Eric Levet, is just such a boat. The Sun Odyssey 35 demonstrates clearly that Jeanneau has not lost its identity since being acquired by
The J/109 is more than a high-performance boat with cruiser-friendly add-ons; it’s a well-conceived, well-executed dual-purpose boat that comes close to being all things to all sailors. Fast, easy to handle, stable, and spacious, the J/109 can serve as a competitive racer, comfortable cruiser, shorthanded daysailer, and a family weekender.The accommodations plan includes a proper nav
As the summer winds down, a season change is in the air. Autumn? Nope, it’s boat show season. You’d think the SAIL editors would all
A drop-in sailing lifestyle is a reasonable alternative to cruising on your own boat.
Reserve your tickets now.
Ready or not, boat show season is upon us.
As the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival approaches its half-century mark, a look at past, present, and future of this Pacific Northwest classic.
Tracy Edwards led the first all-female circumnavigation during the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race and has been a bold advocate for women and girls ever since.
This Italian/Danish build aims to bridge the gap from small boat to grand prix sailing.
The Bar Keeper’s Friend It doesn’t matter what a class act your boat is, I’ll bet the builders let a few so-called stainless steel bolts
Michael Reardon, founder and CEO of Daedalus Yachts, has purchased several American-made brands this year.
Polynesian women are practicing the ancient art of traditional navigation and inspiring seafaring communities around the globe to do the same.
